Psychedelic Salon Lorenzo Hagerty

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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna







PROGRAM NOTES:















The session begins with a discussion about the nature of the Big Bang and its relation to philosophical concepts, specifically Kant's notion of space as an a priori function of consciousness. Terence questions the traditional metaphor of the Big Bang as an explosion in empty space and suggests a more accurate understanding as the creation of time, space, and matter simultaneously. They argue that this event is highly improbable and that science's request for belief in such an event is akin to asking for a miracle.The conversation then shifts to the notion of the universe as a process of novelty condensation and explores the idea that the universe might be much older than currently believed, possibly around 17.5 billion years. Terence critiques current cosmological theories and highlights issues such as the discovery of stars older than the universe. They suggest that the universe's true age and nature might be significantly different from mainstream scientific consensus, emphasizing the chaotic and competitive nature of scientific research and the limitations of formal systems in generating all true statements within a system.Finally, Terence touches on the evolution of consciousness and language, challenging the idea that speech is a natural human ability. They propose that language, defined broadly as the coordination of details about the present to create a model of the world, predates speech and has deep roots in animal behavior. The discussion includes the role of psychedelics in early human development, particularly how psilocybin may have influenced social, sexual, and cognitive behaviors, leading to the emergence of complex consciousness and culture. The narrative underscores the impact of psychedelics on early human societies and their eventual decline, leading to the development of agriculture, hierarchy, and modern civilization.SUGGESTED READING: The Spirit of the Internet: Speculations on the Evolution of Global Consciousness (Free PDF copy)

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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna







PROGRAM NOTES:

























In this talk, which was given in October of 1995, Terence McKenna talks about his concept of thinking about various cultures in the same vein as computer operating systems, complete with viruses. He says, "Your operating system determines what world you are living in." -McKenna







He then goes on to equate a clash of cultures to a clash of operating systems. It sounds elementary, but it does seem to give me a better way to think about world affairs. Of course, I'm more of a geek than a historian. This metaphor may work for you as well.







Recommended ReadingThe Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemmaby Mustafa Suleyman (CEO of Microsoft AI, majority shareholder in OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT.

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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna







PROGRAM NOTES:

















Among other things, Terence McKenna talks here about several books that now seem to have been forgotten. And then there is his story about his brother's vision of bonding psychedelics with our DNA to launch a permanent trip "on the natch". The Timewave makes an appearance also. All-in-all, it's a fun ride from a young Terence McKenna.







Had you taken Terence's advice and picked up a remainder copy of the Codex Seraphinianus for $19, that would bring you about $600 today. Not bad advice, I'd say.







Codex seraphinianus Hardcover – January 1, 1983 ($650)







It may be hard to do, but if you take yourself back to 1988, where you didn't know what would happen in 2000 or 2012, you can see how appealing the idea of the Timewave was back then. …. he admits that he was "hearing voices" … but, nonetheless, when he goes into his poetic description of the Timewave it seems to me that there is still something about the nature of time that remains undiscovered.

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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna







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We return once again to the land of Terence McKenna's workshops.







As you will hear, his question and answer format leads him into telling some of the old stories we heard early on in Terence's talks but some of which were dropped later on. As far as I can remember, this is the only time he talked about taking psychedelic substances in his dreams.

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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna







PROGRAM NOTES:























In this talk, Terence approaches the topic of how little of what was considered to be established science 100 years ago has now been overturned.







One of the things he says in this talk may resonate with you is where he says, "You could almost describe psychedelics as enzimes for the activity of the imagination."







The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow







The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler

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Guest speaker: Terence McKenna







PROGRAM NOTES:























Today begins our 20th year of podcasting from the Psychedelic Salon with a talk that Terence McKenna gave in the late 1980s. Near the end he talks about his daily cannabis use and how he and Kat got together. As far as I can remember, this is his only time that he got so personal.